Italy on a Dime

Monday, May 31, 2010

Ok..I know I am breaking my promise of "just a little something each day." But I am here now and of course the picture to the left is not Italy, we were in South Dakota and I absolutely fell in love. We packed so much stuff into a 6 day trip, but it was worth every moment. We went to the Sioux Falls..breathtaking..We traveled to the Laura Ingals Homestead, the Corn Palace, The Black Hills, Custer Park..and of course Mt. Rushmore. It was so nice to just have the time with my family and make many memories.

Tomorrow I am off to another trip, this time for work. We are going to Florida, I have only been there once and that was to visit Disney World. Another fun and amazing trip. But....although I will cherrish and love my state side trips I still can't wait to get to Italy. We are still collecting our cans and dimes...Wish us luck.

The knowledge of the day:

September, October, April, May are the most appealing months in terms of weather, wether you plan to travel to north or to South of the country.July and August are very hot, that could appeal for people looking for a sea-beach holiday, but is a troubled time for excursions, especially for people coming from countries with summer not so hot.Consider the temperatures ranging from 30° - 40° C.January and February are the coldest months, but you could also have fine days, especially in the Southern area of the country.

Friday, May 14, 2010

I am so sorry that I didn't post yesterday. I am actually going to have to make this my last post for a week. Just know that I totally need this little break...Even though we are going somewhere amazing here in the states, South Dakota, I am still longing for Italy. I can still dream right....

For now wish us a safe trip and a happy return.

The knowledge of the day:5km from the edge of the Sorrentine peninsula, the island of Capri is one of the loveliest resorts in Italy. It is overrun by tourists during spring and summer and is popular with local and international travelers, drawn here by the sun, sea and romance. This friendly island is easy to get around. You’re ferry/hydrofoil will dock at the Marina Grande. All major hotels, cafes and restaurants are on the steep hill facing the harbour. There are funiculars that will take you to and from the cliff top. A short distance from Capri is Anacapri. Take a bus to get to this little settlement near Monte Solaro. Apart from this, the only other place you should visit on the island is the southern settlement of Marina Piccola. It has a big beach that is very popular. There are other beaches on the island and these are Punta Carnea and Bagni di Tiberio. http://www.ultimateitaly.com/italy-islands/capri.html

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Today has been a very long day. I found one dime in the dryer (I think now we are at 301 dimes in our possesion). I have been up since 4:00 a.m. where I first began my day by reading and analyzing all the news on Sandra Bullock...Another story..another time, all I have to say is "Vi auguro felicità e di vivere la vita con la tua famiglia con un sacco di risate, onestà e amore. I migliori auguri a te, Sandra." Which says "I wish you happiness and to live life with your family with lots of laughter, honesty and love. Best wishes to you, Sandra. Then it was off to my work out, then work, then running around...then off to cleaning my house...

My aching feet are killing me. From the moment I got out of work I have been on my feet and to end my day I made 22 of my famous "poop bars." Tranlation: home made breakfast bars made with grape nuts cereal, oatmeal, brown sugar, flax seed granola, honey, vanilla, raisins, dark chocolate chips, peanut butter and water...Very yummy. I made them for our upcoming road trip. I can't wait to go...Although it's not Italy, I will enjoy every moment of it and enjoy the relaxation with my family.

Again, sorry such a borring post, I promise to get creative when I get back. For now Good night.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Ci siamo ancora? Translation: "Are we there yet?" Not quite, but we found more cans HAHA...Today we figured we need 60,000 dimes (we currently have 300) and we will have met our goal to get to Italy. My sister just informed me that I was supposed to take her..Oops..sorry sis..but now she has challanged us, she will be saving her quarters and we will see who gets there first. Maybe we will all just go together.

I wonder if she will learn the language before I do? This trip is going to happen, we are already prepping. We found http://www.rosettastone.com/ and from what I can tell it is awesome. The thing I like most about Rosetta Stone is the way you learn a new language. The method helps you learn a new language the same way you learned how to speak your native language. How great is that? I remember taking Spanish and French in high school and college and everything was so formal, so text book. I learned more from my surroundings, interacting with my family and friends and by doing every day tasks than I did from a text book. So we will see...

I know this blog is borring today, but I just want to make an honest attempt to add something everyday if I can. Next week we will be away so for sure I will probably miss next week, but I should have lots to say by then...

So...

The knowledge of the day:

Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of southern Italy

Monday, May 10, 2010

"This may sound crazy...better yet....well just crazy...but for the longest time I have dreamed of Italy. Rome, Naples, Venice....the list goes on and on...Then I saw it, my favorite Chef on the cooking channel did a special on CAPRI (I found out it is not pronounced like the drink) and I fell in love....Now I am on a mission to make it there. How can this be accomplished on such a meager dreamer income? Well that's where I pull out the big guns, or should I say the big man in my life, the one who I consult with for my logic, my strategy, my ambition. So....to make a long story short, we are going to collect DIMES....Even if it takes us 20 years, we are going to fill our dime container up until we hit our goal (amount unknown at this time...Keep up and we will get a figure). Today we started our first mission, we collected cans from a neighborhood park (I know kinda grose), but look at it this way....I got a nice healthy refreshing walk, my heart is healthy, we got to chat and enjoy each others company and we helped keep America looking good (Hoot Hoot)!!!Yes, Woodsie Owl would totally be happy today. So...we will take a journey and see where we end up...It better be CAPRI....I am counting on the face of Franklin D. Roosevelt... to get us there....Wish us luck.....THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE DAY:"The dime is a coin worth 10 cents, or one tenth of a United States dollar(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dime_(United_States_coin)."